Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, a generator positioned in the nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The one or more rotor blades convert the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical energy using known airfoil principles. A shaft transmits the mechanical energy from the rotor blades to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be supplied to a utility grid.
The tower may be constructed from a plurality of tower sections. In particular, each of the tower sections may be stacked, e.g., vertically, and coupled together to form the tower. Each of the tower sections may, in turn, be formed from a plurality of tower section segments. Specifically, the tower section segments may be annularly arranged and coupled together to form the tower section.
Each pair of adjacent tower section segments may be coupled by a connection assembly. More specifically, conventional connection assemblies may include a flange welded to each tower section segment being coupled. A spacer may then be positioned between the flanges before coupling the flanges with bolts. Furthermore, it may be necessary to place a filler material in the joint between the adjacent tower section segments. In this respect, the assembly of the tower section using conventional connection assemblies may be time-consuming, thereby increasing the cost of the wind turbine.
Accordingly, improved wind turbines, and, in particular, improved connection assemblies for wind turbine towers, are desired in the art. Specifically, connection assemblies that do not require the use of spacers and/or filler materials and that are relatively more efficient to use would be advantageous.